Prince County Fiddlers Receive Life Memberships The following fiddlers received Life Memberships at a din-ner in Kensington on October 11th hosted by Libbe Hubley Lottie Locke

Lottie’s mother played piano and other instruments. Lottie plays the fiddle, and also the piano, guitar and accordion. Her first fiddle was from her husband and family “as a Christmas present in 1986.” She joined the beginner class at the Community School in Kensington and the Prince County Fiddlers (PCF) in 1988 with John Gauthier as a teacher. She has been active in getting more young people into practice, hoping they

keep up their good work and hopes the PCF will remain as a group. Thelma Campbell

Thelma has fond memories of her father taking down the fiddle to play for us, “his captive audience.” Many members of her family are musicians. She played at house parties and dances with her sister in the 40s. They were called the Andrew Sisters. To her surprise, she found a fiddle under the Christmas

Tree. She was encouraged and introduced by Alvin Ber-nard to the PCF in 1988. Now she plays with a group called “Charlie’s Angels” playing mostly Gospel music. Thelma likes every kind of music especially old time and anything close to the floor. She looks forward to more young people joining the Prince County Fiddlers group. Leith Thomson

Leith spent his formative years in Rose-ville in Western Prince County, P.E.I. Leith's father was a mouth organ player and played the fiddle. Leith went on to say "I can't remember a time when I didn't love Fiddle music.” Growing up in the thirties and early forties, he recalls walking to neighbors to hear fiddle mu-

sic broadcast on CFCY radio. Like many other Islanders of that era, Leith relocated to Ontario. It was during this time he began to play the fiddle with some good friends from Cape Breton. Leith credits his friends for encouraging and helping him get started and was primarily influenced by Andrew Jones who played in the style of Winston (Scotty) Fitzgerald. When Leith retired, he moved back to P.E.I. and played with the West Prince Fiddlers. The group was comprised of fiddlers Andrew and Lewis Jones, Ken Matthews, Elmer Robinson, Frank O'Connor,

Albert Noonan all accompanied by Dorothy Rogers on piano. Leith has been playing with the Prince County Fid-dlers since 1990. When asked about his favorite tunes, he was a bit pressed to narrow it down; however, if he had to pick two, they would be the Bonnie Lass of Fisher's Row and the High-Level Hornpipe. Leith credits whatever success the group may have enjoyed thus far to the fact that people enjoy listening to them and they enjoy playing the old traditional music. Leith and his wife Ester live in Summerside, P.E.I. . Edgar Millar

Edgar was born in 1928 at Bideford, a small rural community between Tyne Valley and Ellerslie, P.E.I. Edgar was the second oldest in a family of six. In January 1930, when Edgar was two years old, it took two days by horse and sleigh to move his family to Kelvin Grove, near Kensington. They stayed overnight

in Lot 16 and drove their cattle across the ice from Lot 16 to Summerside, out the Blueshank Rd to Kelvin Grove. Edgar learned to play the mouth organ at an early age, but gave it up after he married and began farming on his own. He began to play again, forty years later. Edgar and his Wife Betty married in September 1953 and pur-chased a farm. Edgar relates that he was always inter-ested in violin music and took up the instrument at age 55 when he had more time (his farm and family had con-sumed most of his time up to that point in his life.) Edgar retired in 1991 allowing more time to spend on his music. He has been playing with the Prince County Fiddlers for about 15 years, and he is on the board of directors of the Maritime Fiddlers Association. Edgar was a regular player at Rainbow Valley and continues to play for tour groups with a group of friends at various locations. Edgar is a regular at jamborees held at Irishtown and Sea View Com-munity Halls. Edgar and Betty like to travel and attend many musical events off-Island. Edgar shares his gift of music as a member of the choir at Kensington United Church and has taught violin at Community School in Ken-sington for a number of years. In addition to playing the violin and mouth organ, Edgar has crafted five violins and a viola. Edgar also does capable repair work for a num-ber of fiddle players . Edgar and his wife Betty live on Wil-mot Valley Road, near Summerside. Write-ups of Lifetime Presentations will be in future is-sues on: Alvin Bernard, Ivan Day, Audrey Day, Jim Mac-Dougall, Libbe Hubley, Austin Paynter, Pete Doiron, Danny MacCormack, Glenna Bowness & Ivan Bowness

Submitted by the Editor

December 2006 Volume 4 Issue 4

Editor: Joseph Hébert 569-2762 Asst. Editor: Darlene Pound 566-9799 Distribution: Patsy Cook 566-2424 Advertising: Blair Myers 569-4518

The Island Fiddler is the quarterly newsletter of the P.E.I. Fiddlers Society.

The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of The Island Fiddler. The Island Fiddler does not as-sume any responsibility or otherwise with respect to the products or services advertised. Mail: The Island Fiddler 135 Kent Street PO Box 3311 Charlottetown, P.E.I. C1A 8W5 Email: jhebert@eastlink.ca P.E.I. Fiddlers Society Established 22 May 1977 * Incorporated 31 March 1983 Board of Directors President: Sheila MacKenzie 569-3356 1st Vice-President: Ward MacDonald 626-8084 2nd Vice-President: Carolyn Drake 894-8218 Secretary: Anne M. McPhee 687-1521 Treasurer: Paul Cheverie 566-3551 Prince County Fiddlers Barry Thompson, President 836-3844 wbthompson@gov.pe.ca Queens County Fiddlers Blair Myers, President 569-4518 bssw@pei.sympatico.ca Eastern Kings Fiddlers Anne M. McPhee 687-1521 annemc1@pei.sympatico.ca Southern Kings Fiddlers Amy Swenson 962-2273 gagliano31@hotmail.com Acadian Fiddlers Dorothy Griffin Farish 854-2063 dfarish@isn.net All editions of The Island Fiddler are on the internet at www.peifiddlers.com where you can view/print.

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 2

Privacy Statement Information collected is solely for use by

The Prince Edward Island Fiddlers Society.

From the Editor’s Desk Congratulations to the new President, Sheila MacKenzie. Again I want to thank everyone who has contributed to the publication of this newsletter. Without this contribution of many members, “this newsletter would not happen.” To borrow a line from Past President Ward MacDonald on the Newsletter and the Website: “They are the backbone of our Society.” We are offering a sincere thanks to Gerry Cheverie who designs and maintains the www.peifiddlers.com Web site

I would like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas And a Very Happy and Prosperous

New Year

Annual General Meeting Report by Paul Cheverie Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on 28 Octo-ber 2006 at the Atlantic Superstore in Charlottetown. All chapters were represented with a full quorum in atten-dance. Highlights include: Financial Report - all chapters have contributed funds to the Society; more ads are anticipated soon for the news-letter. The Society and The Island Fiddler newsletter are in good financial shape; Past President Ward MacDonald outlined the accom-plishments over the past few years (Newsletter, Web Site, Life Members, By-Laws). He acknowledged the honour and privilege of serving as President since 2002 and looks forward to serving as Chair of the 30th Anniversary Com-mittee; By-Laws - revised to reflect the current aims, objectives, and structure, were passed; 30th Anniversary Celebration - a committee of six mem-bers has put together a proposal for a day long celebration with various themes, probably in August 2007 - volunteers are needed and most welcome, to ensure a successful celebration; Ken Perlman - back on PEI for 6 weeks this fall, gave a presentation about his current research into newer and older Island fiddlers; Membership - current members of the chapters are auto-matic members of the Society with a portion ($5.00) of their membership fee remitted to the Society; as well, a direct membership to the Society (for those with no chap-ter affiliation) was set at $10.00 and are now available from the Treasurer; Music - a few fiddlers shared some tunes, accompanied by Ken Perlman on banjo; New Executive elected - President - Sheila MacKenzie First Vice-President - Ward MacDonald Second Vice-President - Carolyn Drake Secretary - Anne McPhee Treasurer - Paul Cheverie

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 3

Fiddle and/or Accompaniment(+) Teachers Abram Village Louise Arsenault Fiddle + 854-2830 Argyle Shore Roy Johnstone Fiddle 675-2541 Caledonia Amy Swenson Fiddle 962-2273 Charlottetown Kathryn Dau-Schmidt Fiddle 672-2711 Ward MacDonald Fiddle 626-8084 Kendra MacGillivray Fiddle 367-5606 Gail Matheson Piano 628-1370 Robert Arseneault (Sobers) 368-3237 Sheila Mackenzie (Nat’l Music) 566-2894 Cumberland Courtney Hogan Fiddle 675-3593 Fortune Mark Haines Fiddle + 687-1404 Harrington Cynthia MacLeod Fiddle 672-2555 Kensington Cathy Campbell 436-0380 836-3887 Montague Mark Haines Fiddle + 687-1404 Richmond MacKinnon Family Fiddle + 854-2245 Rollo Bay Kathryn Dau-Schmidt Fiddle 672-2711 Summerside Anastasia DesRoches Fiddle 854-3116

Fiddling Related Web Sites

Anastasia Desroches www.anastasiadesroches.com Cape Breton Live www.capebretonlive.com Chuck & Albert www.chuckandalbert.com CJFX Radio www.989xfm.supremeserver11.com Courtney Hogan www.courtneyhogan.ca/home.html College of Piping www.collegeofpiping.com Cynthia MacLeod www.cynthiamacleod.com Ken Perlman www.kenperlman.com Music on the Wheatley www.musiconthewheatley.com Nathan Condon www.nathancondon.com P.E.I. Fiddlers Society www.peifiddlers.com P.E.I. Music Awards www.peiawards.com Queens Co Fiddlers www.queenscountyfiddlers.com Richard Wood www.peisland.com/richardwood Rollo Bay Fiddle Fest www.rollobayfiddlefest.ca Roy Johnstone www.royjohnstone.com The Fiddle Farm www.thefiddlefarm.com Tim Chaisson www.timothychaisson.com

Fiddle Practices Open to the Public Prince County Fiddlers: Mon. 7:30pm Community Connections S’side 836-3844 Queens County Fiddlers: Wed 7:45-9pm St Pius X Hall Parkdale 569-4592 Eastern Kings Fiddlers Mon. 7 - 8 pm Rollo Bay Consolidated School 687-2584 Acadian Fiddlers Fri. 8:00 pm Boys & Girls Club Wellington 854-2570

Step Dancing Teachers Tracy Arsenault . . . . . . . . . . 854-3237 Jocelyne Arsenault . . . . . . . 854-2721 Susan and Libbe Hubley . . . 836-3887 College of Piping . . . . . . . . .436-5377 or 877-224-7473 Judy MacLean . . . . . . . . . . . 969-4100 or 902 566-5545 Shirley Burke . . . . . . . . . . . . 368-2416 Jaime Bell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 962-2846 Monique Pendergast. . . . . . . 367-9218 If you are a teacher and not listed, you can call the editor at 569-2762 or via email at jhebert@eastlink.ca

A New PEI Fiddling Project By Ken Perlman The Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa author-ized me to record and collect oral histories from as many old-time Island fiddlers as I can during a two-month resi-dency. The materials I collect – audio recordings, video recordings, and still photos – will go into a special tradi-tional music archive at the Museum. This project is meant to be a follow up on an earlier one I conducted back in 1991-2 for the Earthwatch Organi-zation. During that period we recorded roughly 80 Island fiddlers. One result from the Earthwatch project was a book and CD set published in 1996 called "The Fiddle Mu-sic of Prince Edward Island.” At the halfway mark of the current project, I have con-ducted about 30 sessions with fiddlers from all over PEI, from Tignish to Bayfield to Flat River. It has been a delight to reconnect with old friends from the original project, and a joy to encounter new players. Among the fiddlers I’ve met with so far are . . . Prince County: Joe Albert, Eddy Arsenault, Edward P. Arsenault, Peter Arsenault, Pat Doucette, Victor Doucette, David Gaudet, Harry Lecky, Dennis Pitre, Fred Richard; Kings County: Francis MacCormack, Allan MacDonald, Francis MacDonald, Ward MacDonald, Sheila MacKenzie, Hughie McPhee, Attwood O’Connor, Bud Stewart; Queens County: Howard Hancock, Billy MacInnis, Jr., Clarence MacLean, Leonard McDonald, the Ross Family Band, Cecil Trainor, Elliott Wight Meanwhile if you know any old-time fiddler I should know about (or are one yourself), please contact me at (902) 629-9473, or kenperlman@aol.com.

Help us to get The Island Fiddler into the hands of individual recipients for free! Contact us to advertise your goods and services with Island-wide distribution in our quarterly publication.

Advertise in The Island Fiddler

Fiddlers in Eastern Kings photos, by Waldron Leard, 2006 http://www.flickr.com/photos/shywriter55

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 4

Once again throughout the winter months with the "P.E.I. Welcomes Cape Breton" Concerts Series in Charlotte-town. Organizers have made a few changes to the series including changes in time and venue to accommodate the interest of their supporters. The monthly concerts will be held on Saturdays at Holy Redeemer Hall at 7 Pond Street in Charlottetown and will cater to an audience 19 and over. The show runs from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm starting in January 2007. Admission is $10 per person and for more information please call Marlene MacDonald at 368-1832. Marlene and fellow organizer Ward MacDonald look for-ward to seeing all those faithful followers that travel the Island from Wellington to South Lake and they welcome any new followers of this fine tradition.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Holy Redeemer Hall, 7 Pond St. Charlottetown, 8:00pm Saturday, January 27, 2007 - Mairi Rankin Saturday, February 24, 2007 - TBA Saturday, March 24, 2007 - TBA Saturday, April 28, 2007 - TBA Saturday, May 26, 2007 - TBA

The Fiddle Doo & Pot Luck A Fiddle Doo was held on October 21 at the the New London Complex. The event drew over 300 listeners and approximately 70 entertainers! Fiddlers came from many parts of N.B. including Park Avenue Fiddlers, Winston Crawford Fiddlers, and Miramichi Fiddlers. There were many Island entertainers including the Prince County Fiddlers. Lots of great music, good food, and great helpers in the kitchen were appreciated. The next Fiddle Doo will be on Feb. 3, 2007, 2-7pm at New London complex. Organizer, Mary Smith would like to thank all who came and helped in making the event run so smoothly.

Southern Kings Fiddlers Report by Amy Swenson The summer and fall Ceilidh season is over and prepara-tions are being made for special holiday events. The Murray Harbour Drama Club is having a Christmas Ceilidh in early December; contact Fay Fraser at 962-2157 for more information. The Wood Islands and Area Devel-opment Corporation hosted the first of a series of Ceilidhs at the Plough the Waves Community Centre on Oct. 28th. A good crowd, many in costume, attended the fun event. Fiddlers Attwood O’Connor, Cecil Chapman, Linda Stew-art and myself and stepdancer Janine Chapman were some of the entertainers. Call 962-3761 for the dates of future Ceilidhs at the Centre. The Kings County Music Festival hosted three recitals for young musicians in the area on November 19th at 2 pm at the Hillcrest United Church, the others will be in February and April. Interested people may call me at 962-2273 in the new year for those dates. Piano students will be excited to play on the new Yamaha Grand Piano recently donated to the church. There was approximately eighteen keen young beginner and intermediate fiddle stu-dents there Nov. 19th as well, as interest in learning to play the violin is continuing to be strong in this area. The Vernon River Community School Fiddle Class has been busy this fall. Taught by Sheila MacKenzie, the class has both beginners and more experienced students and I hear they have been having fun learning a Jerry Holland march as well as old standards such as the Bal-kan Hills. I will be teaching the Murray Harbour Commu-nity School Classes which will start in early January on Monday evenings and which will have a beginner and an advanced class. Call me for more information.

I have been busy making plans to produce a Made on P.E.I. "Bubble Note" Fiddle Tutor for beginner and inter-mediate students. Over the past seven years, I have been teaching with a new and very easy to learn method of cod-ing notes on the treble clef - I call them 'bubble notes' and have found that they are very well liked by young students as well as adults. In fact, I have taught students aged 4 to ...see Southern Kings, page 7

Island Fiddle fans will be kicking up their heels

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 5

Every day is a special day,

At Bernadette’s Flowers

Arrangements

For all occasions

Great Friendly Service We Deliver Island wide

Acadian Fiddlers by Dorothy Griffin-Farish Fancy fiddling and flying feet were very much in evidence at Le Jamboree Atlantique des Violoneux 2006 - the 2006 Atlantic Fiddlers’ Jamboree - held from August 4 - 6, 2006 at the Expo-Festival Center in Abram-Village, P.E.I. High-lighting this 19th Fiddlers’ Jamboree was feature artist, 84-year-old Cape Breton fiddler Buddy MacMaster, one of the most sought-after musicians in Canada, whose graceful touch makes him one of the greatest fiddlers of all time. What an honour it was to have this great musician as spe-cial guest at this event! MacMaster was accompanied on piano by Kevin Chaisson of Rollo Bay. Event coordinator Nick Arsenault, himself an upcoming fiddler, remarked that he had been kept busy answering calls from all over the country and beyond. The weekend began on Friday, August 4th, at 7:30 p.m. with the official opening and the cutting of the horse hair to kick start the jamboree. A reception was next, followed by a fiddle jam. The Friday Night Jammers, plus many other entertainers, played to their hearts’ content before a large group in attendance. The first main event took place on Saturday afternoon, entitled "Meet the Masters." Here Buddy MacMaster, ac-companied by Kevin Chaisson on piano, fascinated and delighted the large crowd of people with his unique and beautiful arrangement of fiddle compositions, followed by a highly anticipated evening that included Peter Chaisson, Clack’azing, Elmer Leblanc and Buddy MacMaster. Some of the entertainers at this Atlantic Fiddlers’ Jam-boree included Elmo Leblanc from St. Anne-de-Kent, NB, who conducted a fiddle workshop on Saturday, just before the evening concert; Dianne Ouellette, who conducted a square dance workshop - also on Saturday evening - in which traditional Acadian steps were taught, with Edward (Polycarp) Arsenault, a hardcore Acadian fiddler from the Evangeline region, supplying the music for the session; Eddy Arsenault and his brother Amand who had the spot-light on Saturday and Sunday afternoons; Eddy’s son Pe-ter Arsenault, who with Edward P. Arsenault took turns entertaining during the brunch that was held in the Centre on Sunday; J.J. Chaisson, who was showcased on Sun-day afternoon; Louise Arsenault, who kickstarted the Sun-day afternoon show at 1:00 pm; Keelin Wedge, Anastasia DesRoches, 13-year-old Brandon Arsenault; Cynthia

Cormier, Karine Gallant, Philippe Leblanc, the group Clack’azing; Ward MacDonald and Peter Chaisson. Many other musicians contributed to this delightful event - too many to mention here. The Fourth Golden Fiddle Award Presentation was made by Jocelyne Arsenault following Sunday after-noon’s "Big Show." This year’s recipient was Edward (à Polycarpe) Arsenault of St. Chrysostome, who was one of the founders of the Atlantic Fiddlers’ Jamboree and was instrumental in the development of fiddle and Aca-dian music in the region. He is a lively fiddler who is one of the preferred ones to accompany step-dancers in the area. Edward plays at almost every festival and event in the area, including the Friday night jams at the Boys and Girls Club in Wellington. He is also a prolific composer, penning such compositions as "The Mussel Reel," "Harmony Reel," and the famous "Acadian Reel." This modest, kindly individual, who on receiving his award, a painting representing a fiddle player by local artist Lucie Bellemare, simply thanked the committee for selecting him to receive the award, adding, "I don’t deserve this." So like Edward à Polycarpe! Previous recipients of The Golden Fiddle Award in-clude Eddy Arsenault, Zelie-Anne Arsenault-Poirier, and Amand Arsenault. In other news from this area, Karine Gallant, daughter of Gary and Monique Gallant of Mont Carmel, has had a busy summer. She spent four weeks in Ireland at "The Blast", University of Limerick from about the end of June until July 25th and from there she went to California for two weeks at a Scottish summer camp "Valley of the Moon". Karine is in her third year of study in traditional music at Juliette College in Quebec. She is showcasing in Moncton on November 10, 2006 for 20 minutes at "L’Francofête-en-Acadie" and will have a booth and pro-motional material concerning her demo "K’ryne". Way to go, Karine! The group Vishten have an upcoming CD launch. Watch the paper for more details. Peter Arsenault attended the North American Fiddle Convention in Aberdeen, Scotland in late July, 2006, and played his violin there, accompanied by Ken Perlman of Boston on piano. see Acadian Fiddlers, page 6

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 6

The Judy MacLean Private School 0f Dance Dance with the best, dance with us

Tel: (902)566-5545 Cell: (902)969-4100 Web: judymacleandance.ca

Email: judymacleandance@eastlink.ca

Member of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association (CDTA)

We do Concerts and Benefits

Acadian Fiddlers, cont. from page 5 Peter is a frequent player at events in the Evangeline re-gion and beyond. His brother Albert and friend Chuck have showcased in France, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec, and were featured in the Deep Roots Festival in Wolfville, Nova Scotia in September. Their comedy show is going to Calgary in November, and it has been nomi-nated for a Canadian Comedy Award on October 28th on the Comedy Channel. Check their website at for more in-formation. The Polycarpe Arsenault family played for a concert in the Magdalen Islands in September, featuring Edward and Joceyline on the fiddles. Lots of good stuff going on. It’s hard to catch everything. Contact me by telephone at 902-854-2063 or by e-mail at dfarish@isn.net to let me know all the activities of the Acadian community.

Eastern Kings Fiddlers Report by Anne M. McPhee Looking back over the past year, it has been very busy and productive for many of the Eastern Kings Fiddlers, individually, in groups and as a whole. While numbers were down for the 30th Anniversary of the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival, everyone had a wonderful time under warm sunny skies and starlit nights with a quality of music not easily found anywhere else. Enough funds were some-how found once again to provide free fiddle lessons at the Rollo Bay Consolidated School to anyone with the desire to learn, regardless of age or past experience. For the first time this year, the Eastern Kings fiddle students joined the students from Charlottetown, Donagh School and Southern Kings for a Fiddlemania concert which was a resounding success. Teachers Kathryn Dau -Schmidt, Amy Swenson and Ronita Baird are doing a tremendous job in sharing their passion for fiddle music and it is showing in the abilities of their students. One of the greatest success stories out of Eastern Kings this year is of course the Celtic Ladies who all origi-nate from Kings County. They had another successful season entertaining Islanders and visitors all summer long at the Guild and returned to play before the “hometown” crowd for the final concert of the season at the Kings Play-house in Georgetown. As always, this was a real treat for everyone. Lead fiddler and Rollo Bay fiddle lessons graduate, Sheila MacKenzie was recently elected as the President of the PEI Fiddlers Society. Congratulations Sheila!! We sure are proud of you.

Meanwhile, Tim Chaisson has produced another CD and while it is predominantly vocal, there is a lot of fiddle music in the background giving the CD something of a celtic flavour. Everyone is now anx-iously awaiting the release of the new Chaisson Fam-ily CD which will hopefully be out by Christmas. The Rollo Bay ceilidhs were very well attended all summer long ending with a successful fundraiser for the MacIntyre House. The Goose River dances have reported record breaking attendance every Sat-urday night this past year, an indication that fiddle music is alive and well in Eastern Kings. The Lorne Valley dances have a good turnout every Wednesday as well. The Monticello ceilidh continues to draw a crowd especially in the summer but could use some support now that the fall season is upon us. Waldron Leard, local historian and website de-signer did a pictoral account of everything fiddle in Eastern Kings this summer. He took literally hun-dreds of photos at the Fiddle Festival and other fiddle events in the region and has downloaded them for viewing on his website. You can find the link at www.peifiddlers.com under The Chapters and East-ern Kings Fiddlers. This is truly a wonderful tribute to the fiddlers of PEI. Thanks Waldron. As for the Island Fiddler Newsletter – which was revived under the initiative of outgoing PEI Fiddlers Society President Ward MacDonald – over the past year and a half this newsletter has been a tremen-dous vehicle for improving communications among various fiddlers and fiddling groups across the Island. This may be more apparent in rural areas than in the more urban centres but there is no question that it has had a positive effect Island wide. Having Amy Swenson on board reporting on fiddle activities in Southern Kings and Marie Livingstone reporting on the Acadian fiddlers for the past year, has opened the eyes of many people about the variety and num-ber of fiddle activities going on across the Island. Getting to know other fiddlers allows for improved networking and provides greater incentive to travel to other concerts. Not to mention access to the variety of music styles played across the Island. see Eastern Kings, page 7

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 7

Fiddle Care by Peter Dawson The Bow

Like the violin, the bow is fragile and must be maintained properly. Most importantly, always loosen the hair of the bow when it is not in use, so that the stick is touching the hair. Do not over-tighten the hair. It should only be tight enough while playing that the stick won’t touch the hair. Over-tightening the stick can cause the bow to lose its curve or “camber”. If you play your instrument every day, the bow should be rehaired every 6-8 months. As it gets older, the hair stretches and may be too loose to tighten properly; when

this happens, attempting to tighten the bow can seriously damage the stick. Other indications that it is time for a rehair is the use of more and more rosin to make the hair grip the strings and the breaking of hairs, especially on the playing side. Be very careful how you handle the bow. Never tap the stick on a music stand or other hard object. Never leave it on a music stand: if it falls, there is a good

chance that the head will break. This can sometimes be repaired, but the bow loses most of its value and the break may open up again. Like the violin, never leave the bow in direct sunlight, and keep it away from heat and cold. Never allow anybody to repair or adjust your bow who isn’t a qualified and well-trained stringed instrument repair person. Someone who also repairs trumpets and flutes probably doesn’t have the experience and training necessary to do the quality of work needed and could do more harm than good. Taking care of your violin bow is somewhat as crucial as taking care of your instrument. The most important thing to avoid is over-tightening it. When you are done playing, loosen the hair completely, and then bring it back just a single turn of the button. This will keep the hair even but allow the bow to relax, which is particularly important when the weather is cold and dry; the hair can shrink enough over-night to pull the head off a bow that has not been loos-ened. Your bow will need rehairing when you feel that it is no longer digging into the string, or when you have lost a number of the bow hairs, or when they just get dirty from use. When the bow is rehaired, be sure that not too much hair is put on--this will lessen its playability and might harm the head or the frog. Also be careful not to use too much rosin. It is what gives bow hair a good grip on the strings, but too much will clog the hair, accumulate on the strings, and cause the bow to skate rather than grip. Peter Dawson is a well-known luthier, composer, and recording artist in Ottawa. View his Web site at:

www.peterdawson.ca

P.E.I. invention will help teachers and students of all ages have more fun learning to play both fiddle and classical music. I am very glad to report that the string programs at Sherwood, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Stonepark and Glen Stewart Schools in Charlottetown are in operation again this year and the four teachers involved are very enthusiastic about increasing awareness of their programs and eventually in restoring a string program to Charlotte-town Rural High School. The teachers plan a fundraising and awareness-raising concert in February which will in-volve all of their string classes. Please contact me for in-formation on the date for this concert in the new year. Happy fiddling and have a great holiday season!

Eastern Kings...cont. from page 6 Also, our readers now have an opportunity to make valuable contributions to the Island’s music legacy. An example of this is when Patricia Brooke submitted a beau-tiful story about her father, Lenie Bolger in the March 2006 issue, just a few short months before he passed away at the age of 98. What a wonderful legacy for the family and for all Island Fiddlers. This is truly the purpose and the reason for continuing the efforts of the newsletter and for keeping it about the fiddle and the Island. Thanks to all the contributors to the newsletter over that past year and a half, we look forward to hearing from more of you in future.

Peter Dawson

Southern Kings...cont. from page 4 82 using this method, both privately and in groups at Community Schools. Currently, the notes are being used in Donagh and Sherwood Schools fiddle and string classes. They enable students who may not have mastered reading regular notation to play successfully in a group with those who do read notes. I am hopeful that this

Marie Livingstone with Eddy Arseneault on fiddle

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 8

Murley’s Flooring Services John Murley—Installer

Hardwood, Laminate, Ceramic Vinyl & Carpet Installations

195 Mason Rd Tel: (902)569-2458 Stratford P.E.I. Cell: (902)626-9508 C1A 1S4

CJFX Continues Fiddling Tradition The following interview was conducted via email in Octo-ber 2006 by Ward MacDonald (WM). The interviewee is Jo Ann England (JE), host of the CJFX Ceilidh. WM: Jo Ann, for those readers that may be unfamiliar with your show, can you begin by describing what the CJFX Ceilidh is and how long it has been running? JE: The CJFX Ceilidh is an hour long program dedicated to Celtic music that airs Monday through Friday 6-7pm on X-FM 98.9/102.5 FM. Our coverage area includes Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough & Inverness Counties, as well as much of Prince Edward Island. The Ceilidh has been a part of the CJFX tradition for more than 50 years and has seen many transformations during that timeframe. I took on the role of Ceilidh host in July 2006 from Donald MacLennan – a fiddler from Cape Breton who left the sta-tion at that time. Over the years many people have hosted The Ceilidh, probably most notoriously Ray MacDonald who is credited with launching the careers of many Cana-dian Celtic artists. He left very big shoes to fill and I’m not sure anyone ever could fill them! But I’m happy with the direction I’ve been taking the show and look forward to what comes along in the future. WM: Can you describe the philosophy behind the Ceilidh? JE: This is a tough question because it really changes with each new person to take over hosting du-ties. Ultimately, however, the station itself has an underly-ing philosophy: it acknowledges the massive role the Scot-tish culture has had on our communities and is committed to preserving the music and giving the listening audience a medium in which to hear this music. For me, I believe it’s important to not only play the more popular Celtic music out there today but to also acknowledge where we’ve come from. As such I have re-introduced the “Ceilidh Classic Cut”, which was first introduced, I believe, by for-mer host Jon Matthews. On each program, listeners have the opportunity to hear from some of the great artists of the past…including for example Donald Angus Beaton, Colin J. Boyd, Hugh A. MacDonald, etc. Additionally, it’s important to support the young up and comers so I en-courage all those starting out to drop us a line and let us know how things are going with their careers. WM: What kinds of things do you think about while you prepare the show each day? JE: There are so many things to think about while prepar-ing the show. I think about the people who will be listen-

ing…what do I think they might like to hear? I think about a good mix of artists…geographically speaking, instrumen-tally speaking. You like to have a good mix…plus I like to have a strong blend of types of tunes…jigs, reels, strath-speys, hornpipes, marches, waltzes, slow airs. Different people have different tastes and when you’re appealing to such a large audience, you have to have a good mix. WM: Can you tell our readers what they may hear on a typical Ceilidh program? JE: Honestly, I play what I like myself and that seems to be resonating with listeners. The show is dominated by fiddle music – the feedback strongly suggests that this is what people want to hear more and more of. Then, as mentioned previously, there’s the Ceilidh classic cut. I try to include a song in there now and again & I may throw in a guitar or piano CD…or any other Celtic instrument, the harp, the whistle, the pipes, the flute, etc. When possible, I feature live interviews with artists & often during these interviews some live music as well. Since taking over the reigns in July, I’ve had interviews with Andrea Beaton, Troy MacGillivray, Shane Cook, Natalie MacMaster, Ron Hynes and Kimberley Fraser. Before Christmas, we’ll also be talking with Glenn Graham about his new book. And included in every program is the Ceilidh bulletin – this is where people have the opportunity to hear about live Celtic music happening in our coverage area. WM: Where do you find the recordings that you feature on air? JE: We have a vast library at CJFX that has been col-lected over the years so I draw almost exclusively from that collection. Unfortunately much of the old stuff is gone…as we only play CDs, so the 78s, the records, the tapes…due to technological advances we’re no longer able to play them – although, thankfully, many families have restored old 78s, records and tapes. I also solicit material from artists I hear about through the grape-vine. My friends are always telling me about one artist or another that I should be contacting. But I certainly wel-come emails, letters, etc from anyone with ideas! WM: In today’s world of frenzied popular culture, how do you think the Ceilidh maintains its place on CJFX? JE: I’ve been told that The Ceilidh reaches an average of 5200 households each and every day, so there is obvi ously still a high demand for Celtic music. We do live in an area that is predominantly Scottish and the Celtic music

See CJFX, page 9

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 9

MCM BRICKLAYERS LTD

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. C1A 7N3 (902) 368-3361

Supporting P.E.I. Fiddlers

community is a driving force behind the preservation of the Scottish culture. So we are truly blessed to be broadcast-ing from such a location. But, I think it’s more than that. The management at CJFX holds strong connections to the music, which is really the heart of our communities, and they are incredibly supportive of the program. Without the support from Station Manager Dave MacLean and Program Director Barry MacKinnon, there likely wouldn’t be a Ceilidh. Thankfully we have such a strong team of individuals who believe in the necessity of a program like this. WM: How do you stay in touch with the fiddling commu-nity? JE: I grew up listening to fiddle music and that’s pretty much all I listen to on my personal time. My circle of friends includes many fiddlers and I attend as much live fiddling as I possibly can. I’d love to be able to do more, but with other commitments that’s not always possi-ble. This is why I would love to see more fiddlers touching base with me…just to let me know what is happening; if they’re going out on tour, if they’re releasing a new album, etc etc. The audience is always interested in what’s hap-pening. WM: What do you love the most about hosting the Ceilidh? JW: There’s really not much I don’t love about hosting The Ceilidh. It seems to be an extension of the rest of my life – I am Chair of the Antigonish Ceilidh Association, I’m a member of the Antigonish Highland Society and I’ve worked with various Celtic musicians over the years, help-ing them with biographies, press kits, etc. I love being able to play music that I love for people who love it as much as I do. I love getting to meet so many different art-ists. I love being invited to host ceilidhs or concerts. I love sharing the music of my ancestors with such a large, de-voted audience. For further information, contact: Jo Ann England PO Box 5800, Antigonish, NS B2G 2R9 www.cjfx.ca 902 863-4580 cjfx@cjfx.ca joann_england@hotmail.com

Fiddle Shop Talk by Roy Johnstone In this shop talk I’m including one of my favourite tunes,

it's also one that I am often requested to play. In learning any new tune from sheet mu-sic there’s a simple sequence to go through that will help you be able to play the tune. What’s the key signature ? Without going into a long explanation here, the major sharp keys are C, G, D, A with each key having one more raised note than the previous key. So C has

no raised notes (only the white keys on the piano), G has one raised note F# and D has two raised notes (F# and C#), A has three raised notes (F#, C# and G#) . For now we’ll stop at three sharps. Sheebeg Sheemore has two raised notes so it’s in the key of D Major. So the notes of the tune will fall in the D scale, D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D to cover the octave. The notes and pattern for the major scale was covered in one of my previous shop talks. Next is the time signature. In this case 6/4. That means 6 beats per bar and each beat is a quarter note. This piece could also be written in 3/4 in which the bar lines would fall after every three beats. Before beginning to play don’t forget to do a warm up to loosen up (covered in previous shop talks.) I often play the scale for a new tune I want to learn. Play the scale slowly and try differing fingering positions as you play into the higher notes. The notes on the page are just the skele-ton for the tune. Adding grace notes, double stops, rolls, etc. will embellish the melody and add more interest. Be discreet with these embellishments and listen to re-cordings to see how other players add these embellish-ments. Sheebeg Sheemore translates into “little hill and big hill” and was written by the blind Irish harpist Turloch O’Carolan. There are references to a battle between the fairy kings having taken place in the vicinity so that may influence your interpretation of the tune. Enjoy and till next time keep your bow rosined and the fiddle in tune. Roy Johnstone is an ECMA multi-nominated performer and recording artist. View his Web site at:

www.royjohnstone.com

CJFX...cont. from page 9

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 10

A & D Backhoeing

Owner Allan MacDonald phone/fax: 961-2105

cell: 393-5727

We’ll take care of all your digging, trucking, sewer system, and landscaping needs.

The Prince County Fiddlers were one of a number of acts performing at the 27th annual West Prince Cancer Jamboree on Sunday, August 27th at the Bloomfield Provincial Park. Other acts performing included the Helping Hands band and Nautical Mile. Thousands of Dollars were raised for this worthy cause. Photo by: David MacDonald (West Prince Graphic)

The Prince County Fiddlers Report by Barry Thompson We are pleased to report a rather active past 3 months. Our annual concert on August 12 was another success. Special thanks to the following: Queens Co. Fiddlers, Lady Slipper Dancers, and Step Dancer Tracy Arsenault for their participation. On August 21, we played at the opening of the Annual Kensington Harvest Festi-val and on August 27 we were pleased to be able to par-ticipate in the Musical Fundraiser held at Bloomfield Pro-vincial Park in aid of the P.E.I. Cancer Society. On Octo-ber 4th we accepted an invitation to play for a Discovery Tours bus tour at the Loyalist Inn and Convention Ctr in Summerside. The tour group originated from the state of Washington. This group liked to interact, clap, tap their

feet, and especially liked to dance to the waltzes. The group had lots of questions to ask and seemed very interested in our music and group. Spe-cial thanks to Mary Smith for filling in for us on piano on rather short notice. The Prince County Fiddlers were pleased to host a roast beef supper held at the Col. E. W. Johnstone Branch #9 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Kensing-ton, catered by the Ladies Auxiliary of the branch on October 11. The main purpose of this event was to award life memberships to a number of fiddlers and accompanyists who have long been associated with our group. The presentations were made by our asso-ciation president Ward MacDonald, with introductions by Libbe Hubley, who capably acted as emcee for the evening. Other guests, Carolyn Drake, Marlene MacDonald and our newsletter editor Joseph Hébert representing our provincial association. Also in atten-dance were Pete and Cindy Blanding representing the Long River Players. We were very happy to welcome Estelle Bolger, widow of the late fiddler and life mem-ber of the P.E.I. Fiddlers Society, Lenie Bolger and their daughter Patricia Brooke. Ms. Brooke wrote a fine tribute to her father which was featured in the March issue of our newsletter. The evening ended with lots of great music and conversation. On October 23 we held our annual general meet-ing. On the agenda was the election of officers for the next year. It was moved and seconded that the cur-rent president, Barry Thompson, and current secre-tary treasurer, Edgar Millar, retain their duties for an-other year. We also brought foreword ideas pertain-ing to attracting new members, and alternate ways of conducting our practices. We are pleased to announce that we are partner-ing with the Long River Players in presenting a con-cert, to be held at the Murray Christian Education Center in Kensington, on Monday December 04 at 7:30 PM. Proceeds from the concert will be to the benefit of a local charity. As we are still in the planning stage, further details will be forthcoming. In the near future we hope to be able to attend a Friday evening practice and jam session with our friends the Acadian Fiddlers in Wellington. See Prince County, Page 11

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 11

Prince County...cont. from page 10 This being our last report before the Christmas Holi-day season the Prince County Fiddlers wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous, and peaceful new year. The Queens County Fiddlers Report by Carolyn Drake We have welcomed members back for another fall and winter season of music. The group resumed practice after a summer break in mid-September and continues to meet Wednesday eve-nings at 8 p.m. at St. Pius X Church Hall, St. Peter`s Road, Charlottetown. Members are encouraged to get out to practice, and new members are always welcome. If you want to know more about the group, just drop into any practice, enjoy the music and chat with some of the mem-bers. A special thanks goes out to Vince Keoughan, who has been acting as our music leader for most of the Wednesday night practices. Several members of the group performed in a fund-raising concert at the Carrefour Theatre in October. Thanks to everyone who found time in their schedules to share their music at this event. The group is also hoping to do a few afternoon con-certs at seniors homes throughout the Christmas season, but so far, no firm dates have been set. More details will be available at practice. The group was pleased to welcome Ken Perlman to practice in November. It`s great to have him back on the Island continuing to record and document fiddle music in this province. The Queens County Fiddlers will take their usual month-long break in December and into early January while everyone is busy sharing their music with family and friends at holiday parties. However, now`s the time to look ahead to 2007 and mark your calendars for the group`s annual general meeting to be held on Feb. 7. There is a lot to discuss at this important meeting, with a number of reports to be given and decisions to be made on the group¹s annual concert in June, an open house in the winter, the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival and the Queens County Fiddler`s participation in a special concert being organized for August 2007 to mark the 30th anniversary of the P.E.I. Fiddlers Society. In addition, at least one spot on

the executive needs to be filled as Wylie Hall has moved from P.E.I. to Alberta to work as a truck driver. (Good luck, Wylie). It¹s also time for everyone to pay their membership dues. With so many important things to go over, it has been decided to make this meeting a special one. That`s why we will be offering a hot roast turkey dinner with dessert at no charge for members as part of the annual general meeting on Feb. 7. Everything gets underway at Holy Re-deemer Hall, Pond Street, Charlottetown (note the change of location for this night only) with a social time at 6 p.m., dinner to follow at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting to follow the dinner. We also hope to have a few tunes when we wrap up the business portion of the evening. Anyone who would like to bring a guest (spouse, parent, etc.) is welcome to do so. However, that person will be charged for the meal (approximately $15-16). All the extra details of this meeting and dinner will be presented to the group when we resume practice in Janu-ary. But mark the date now. With the busy summer schedule behind us, there are fewer concerts, Ceilidhs and dances to take in, but be sure to get out to the ones that you know about, especially the monthly dances that QCF members Ward MacDonald and Marlene MacDonald are organizing. They are a lot of fun with great music. And a very special group hello and get well to Cindy McKinnon who has been in hospital. We hope that by the time she reads this she will be home and on the way to recovery. Everyone in the group wishes her all the best and looks forward to her being back with the group.

Next year will be a year to celebrate on Prince Edward Island as it marks the P.E.I. Fiddlers Society 30th anniver-sary. To celebrate the occasion, a committee has been formed to plan a massive day of celebration, featuring fiddlers from across the province in a six- to eight-hour concert next summer. The committee has been meeting since the Spring, and under the chairmanship of Ward MacDonald. Tenta-tive plans have been made to hold the concert at the Col-lege of Piping in Summerside in the summer 2007. This will be a great location as there is a wonderful outdoor see 30th Anniversary, page 12

30th Anniversary Report by Carolyn Drake

DECEMBER 2006 THE ISLAND FIDDLER

PAGE 12 Events Calendar

stage and a covered stage to use if the weather doesn’t co–operate. In addition, the college has box office facilities for ticket sales, as well as an established volunteer base. A firm date for the celebration is expected to be an-nounced by the end of December. In addition to the concert, organizers are looking at possibly including workshops, a jam session, and/or a dance. The goals of this special day include commemorating the founders of the group, celebrating the accomplishments of the group over 30 years, promoting the organization and fiddling on the Island and highlighting the talent in this province to the rest of the world. The celebration will centre around a number of themes, including family, tradition, old and new generations, male and female fiddlers, dancing, as well as different styles of fiddling including Scottish, Irish, Acadian and Old Time. The committee is looking into funding and sponsorship. Sub-committees are also being formed, and there are plenty of jobs to go around. It’s a great project to get involved with, and if anyone is interested in helping out, please contact Ward MacDonald at 626-8084.

Do you have old Records and Tapes that you would like to preserve?

You can have them recorded on CDs

Call Joseph Hébert 569-2762

Email: jhebert@eastlink.ca

Fridays Ceilidh and Dance St Peters Circle Club 961-2899

2nd Mon From Dec 4th 8 pm Ceilidh/Kitchen Party Bingo Country Hall 566-9908

Wednesdays Square Dance Lorne Valley Hall 687-2584

Wednesdays Ceilidh Souris - Seniors Silver threads 687-2396

Saturdays Dance Goose River 961-2205

Sundays Ceilidh & Dance Monticello Log Hall 687-2547

2nd & 4th saturdays 8:00—11:00 pm Ceilidh Irishtown Hall 836-4208

3rd Sat every month Jamboree Seaview Hall Ed Miller 436-7135

Peggy Arsenault and Ward MacDonald look on as Ken Perlman makes a presentation at the PEIFS AGM. Ken also played a few rare recordings of some older P.E.I. fiddlers.

30th Anniversary. . .cont. from page 11